


Always and Forever

by LittleMissAnne



Category: To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series - Jenny Han, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-11 19:11:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15978635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissAnne/pseuds/LittleMissAnne
Summary: Love story of Lara Jean Song Covey and Peter Kavinsky after high school. Lara Jean goes to UNC, while Peter is on a lacrosse scholarship in UVA. Will they survive a long distance relationship?





	1. Phone Calls

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, this is my very first time writing a fan fiction, or any kind of writing really. So please leave a comment and let me know how it is. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Phone Calls

”Can I FaceTime you again later tonight?” Peter asks. We have been talking on the phone for 15 minutes during my break between classes.

”Of course. My study group ends at 8. I’ll be waiting for your call, ” I say cheerfully, ending the phone call with an almost singing-like tone.

Peter and I are in a long distance relationship and I gotta say it is not as bad as how we thought it would be. But maybe because it has only been happening for a little over 2 weeks.

”Lara Jean, what do you think?” Aaron pulls me back to the present. We are discussing our assignment along with 3 other classmates.

”Yeah, it’s a great idea. I think we can totally pull it off!” Honestly, I don’t exactly listen to what they are talking about, but the others show signs of agreement on their faces. So, whatever it is, it shouldn’t be bad.

We finish earlier than expected. I check my phone, it is 7.25. I decide to take a walk around the campus for a little bit and buy myself Caesar salad for dinner in one of the snack booths.

It is the end of August and the weather is still warm. The campus area is bustling with activities and events such as music concerts, art exhibitions or students just lying on the grass eating free shaved ice and so on. I love how vibrant and lively the atmosphere is.

There are always parties to attend to on weekends. I attended one last week because my roommate/best friend in campus, Emily, insisted that I went with her. I’m glad I did. It was a good opportunity to meet new friends outside classes. Margot would be super proud of me. She always reminds me to spread my wings and be fearless and all that.

It is almost 8 by the time I arrive in my room. The room is empty. Emily is not back yet. On the first day I met her, I was really nervous since she was very different with me. For starters, she looks like a runway model. She has blonde loose curly hair and blue-green eyes. Her height is 5’8”. All thanks to her Dutch-Palestinian-American genes. Besides being very attractive, she is a really friendly, charming and witty girl. I love her outgoing and laid back personality. I guess opposites do attract, huh? She majors in fashion photography. She asks me to model for her several times, but I always say no to the request. I mean, I don’t think I’m a model material, you know? And how should I pose? It’s gonna be really awkward.

My phone rings at exactly 8. ”He must be really excited to call me, huh?” I think to myself. The thought of it warms my heart.

”Hey, look who’s on time!” I tease him as soon as I pick up his call. I set my phone on my desk along with my dinner.

”Covey, I can’t see your face. Where are you?”

“Hang on a sec, I need to put my books and grab my mug.” I pour lemon tea from our mini fridge and walk back to my desk.

“There you are! My beautiful girlfriend,” Peter smirks. I feel my cheeks blush at his compliment. I’ve been dating Peter Kavinsky for 2 years now and I still can’t get used to his compliments about my appearance. ”Why are you in your room already? I thought you finished at 8. I planned to call you while you were walking back so you wouldn’t have to walk alone.”

Oh, Peter, always so thoughtful. ”We finished off earlier than planned. So, I took a walk to clear my head and bought myself dinner. It’s been a long day. Thanks for the sweet gesture though.” I give him a wide sincere smile. I get butterflies in my stomach when he smiles back at me with his most gorgeous smile that gives him cute wrinkle lines on his nose bridge.

”Is there anything wrong, Lara Jean?”

”No, everything’s fine. It’s just that I have lots of assignments to be submitted before Labor Day. Apart from that, I’m all good. Don’t worry.”

”Well, let’s look at the bright side, you’ll get to really enjoy your holiday. Speaking of which, what’s your plan for next week? Are you planning to come home?” Peter is eager to know.

”Hmm… I haven’t decided on anything yet, ” I say as I take a forkful of lettuces, chicken and croutons into my mouth. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’m not sure yet. It depends on where you wanna spend your holiday at. If you’re coming home, then we’ll just do what we used to do back when we were still in high school. If you plan to stay in UNC, I will come over and stay there with you. Or…” I can see his eyes looking up as he’s thinking.

“Or?” I encourage him. “Do you want to go somewhere else just the two of us?”

“Do you want to? Are you OK with not coming home?” Peter hesitates. He knows how much my family means to me. One of the reasons I wanted to go to UVA so much is because of how close it is from home. I can easily drive home everyday and stay with my family.

“Well, I miss my family. But it’s not even been a month yet since I left home. I think Daddy is going to let me decide how I want to spend the holiday. Kitty, on the other hand, is gonna be jealous if we have fun without her,” I let out a laugh as I imagine Kitty’s angry face.

Peter laughs too, joining me. Both of us know Kitty all too well. I don’t think she would mind me not coming home. But the idea that I’m going to travel somewhere with Peter, her best friend, without her is killing her. Suddenly, the door swings open as Emily enters the room.

“Hello, you two!” She greets us. Peter greets back.

“Em, why are you home so late?” I ask. She looks like she has been running back to our room, hair strands are coming out of her messy bun. My eyes are now following her movement around the room. She hasn’t answered my question yet. She quickly takes out her books from inside her bag and stuffs in her camera gears. She comes to my desk, eats some of my salad and takes a sip of my lemon tea.

Then, she answers, “Ugh! There’s a problem with one of the models for a photoshoot. She cancelled last minute so I had to search for a replacement. I’m exhausted and hungry. But I still need to go out and take photos for my project. I just come back to take these babies.” She points at her camera gears. “You two lovebirds have fun! Don’t forget to lock the door, Lara Jean. I already bring my key.”

“Wait! I have a pack of cookies around here somewhere,” I try to search inside my drawer and find what I’m looking for within a few seconds. “Here, take this. At least you won’t be taking pictures on an empty stomach.”

“Thank you so much! How can I survive college without you, Lara Jean?” She hugs me and gives me a peck on my left cheek. I roll my eyes at the her. Emily is very expressive. She’s basically an open book. You can tell how she feels towards you just by looking at her facial expression and body language. That’s one of the reason why I like her, she’s far from complicated. “Kavinsky, if you ever hurt my girl, I’ll hunt you down myself!” She threatens Peter playfully.

I can’t help but let out a little giggle when I see Peter’s expression. He looks annoyed even though he knows she is only joking. Peter hates it when someone doubts his devotion for me. “First of all, she’s MY girl. And, of course I will never hurt Lara Jean. She’s the love of my life. Now, go finish that project you mentioned earlier. You’re interrupting my date with my girlfriend.”

Emily lets out gleeful chuckles and waves at the both of us as she walks out through the door.

“How could she say that to me?” Peter retorts in annoyance.

”She’s just being protective, Peter. Besides, she’s only joking. I’m sure you know that, ” I give him a warm smile to calm him down, taking another bite of salad.

”Yes, of course I know she’s just kidding. It’s just that I don’t like it when someone questions my love for you, Lara Jean. So anyway, do you want to go on a trip with me?” He looks at me with hopeful eyes. He looks just like a little boy asking his parents to buy him a toy car for Christmas. How can I say no to that face?

I smile at him. “I would love to, Peter. But, I need to ask for Daddy’s permission first. I’ll ask him about it first thing tomorrow morning and let you know right away”

“Alright cool. I’m so excited for our very first trip alone as a couple.”

“I can see that.” I can’t help but to laugh seeing his excitement. ”Do you think Daddy will be fine with us spending nights together in a hotel room?” I playfully ask him. To be honest, I don’t know how my dad is going to react to this sudden escalation in our relationship. Daddy loves Peter, the whole family does, even Margot. Let’s be fair, what’s not to like about him? There are so many positive sides to him that even my dad was grieving when I broke up with him before the wedding.

Peter’s pretty taken aback by my question, obviously not expecting it at the slightest. I can see him thinking hard, calculating every scenario in his head. Even though he knows Daddy loves him, he wants to stay in my dad’s good graces for as long as possible. The way his eyebrows furrowed is really funny to look at that I can’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

”Hey, it’s not funny at all, Lara Jean. You should be helping me thinking for a good way to drop the bomb, ” Peter snaps at me with a serious stare.

”Relax, Peter. I think he’s going to be OK with it. We are college students now. We are pretty much adults.”

“Are you sure?” He asks me with nervous eyes. “I think even if he has given his approval, I’m still going to ask him in person whether or not it’s fine with him if we stay together.”

”Sure. I think Daddy will really appreciate that. Ugh, I miss you. How I wish I can hug you right now,” I say, suddenly feeling melancholic.

“Hey, you know that I miss you a lot too, don’t you, Covey? Come on, cheer up! We’ll be able to spend a few days together this weekend. So that’s definitely something to look forward to,” Peter tries to comfort me. “Besides, my letter should arrive any time soon. I sent it yesterday morning.”

I sighed. I know I just said that long distance relationship is not so bad. But on days like today, when I have had a long day, I wish Peter is physically here next to me so I can just bury myself inside his hug and let him make all my worries disappear as he gently strokes my hair.

Peter notices my mind has drifted off. He softly calls my name and says, “Covey, quickly finish your dinner. Then, take a hot shower and go to bed. I’m gonna wait for you to fall asleep tonight.”

I only need 3 minutes to finish my salad. Then I go straight to the bathroom and take a shower. I wash my hair with my favorite coconut shampoo which Peter adores so much and try my new cocoa body scrub that I bought in Korea last summer. I always enjoy my time in the shower. A private time you have to yourself, as though you have all the time in the world to unwind and calm down under the running water, very relaxing.

It is already 9.30 by the time I get out of the shower. I use hair dryer to dry my long hair. Before we started college, I told Peter that I wanted to chop my hair off until a bit below the shoulder. He disapproved, ”Hell no! I like your long hair. It’s smooth and pretty, why do you have to cut it? Besides, I like to play with it.” It’s not like I have to cut it so badly. I just think that my hair is getting too long and it is time-consuming to dry it and it’s going to get out of hand without having Kitty to help me style or braid my hair. Also, I think medium length hair is a lot more sophisticated and gives a professional look. But, I gave up the idea because he was pleading for me not to get a haircut. He even asked me to swear by it.

As soon as I put on my cute animal face sheet mask, I lock the door and head over to my bed. I check my Instagram feed for a while to see what my friends are up to before calling Peter. He picks up on the second dial tone. He asks me to wait for a bit since he’s having a conversation with his roommate and two other guys who are his lacrosse teammates. I hear them talking about their lacrosse practice this morning.

I scroll through my Instagram feed again and look at a picture Chris posted an hour ago. She is lying on the beach wearing a cute red floral-print high-waisted bikini set in her photo. Her skin looks tan. She looks incredible. I’m so happy to see her grinning from ear to ear. I double tap the photo.

Ten seconds later, I get a DM from her, ”What are you up to, LJ?”

I take a selfie and write back to her, ”I’m waiting for Peter to finish talking with his friends.”

Then, she replies to me with a video, ”I am on a dinner date with a cute stranger I met at the beach earlier today. He’s walking back from the toilet now. I’ll catch up with you soon. Have a good night, LJ. I miss you.”

I text back, ”I miss you too” with a winky emoji.

Peter is still having a heated discussion about lacrosse. I sense something serious happened during practice. I will ask him about it later. I remove my face mask and gently pat the remaining serum with my fingertips.

I come across a picture Peter posted earlier this afternoon. It is a screenshot picture of our phone call a few nights ago. I didn’t even know he was taking a picture. He looks handsome as usual and I don’t look bad either. I was laughing at a joke he told me about one of his teammates. My stomach flutters when I read his caption: I just can’t get you off my mind, but then again why would I even try?

Some of our friends commented on the picture.

@gaberivera: LARGE, MARRY ME!! You’re a lucky guy, Kavinsky! I’m f-ing jealous!  
@peterkavinsky: @gaberivera f off! go find yourself a gf and stop asking mine to marry you!!  
@chrisnotchrissy: ugh, you’re hopeless @peterkavinsky! looking good girl, @larajeansongcovey  
@pammy_subkoff: aw, you guys are the cutest. missing you both <3  
@heyimlucas: this is so precious  
@that.darrell: @pammy_subkoff we’re just as cute, bb!  
@that.darrell: I really miss your chocolate chip cookie, Large!  
@that.darrell: Also, your rice balls.

I smile reading all these heartwarming comments. Then, I reply.

@larajeansongcovey: i miss hanging out with all of you!  
@larajeansongcovey: @peterkavinsky never ever take a pict of me without asking me first! you’ve been warned. i love you my cheesy bf xx

All of a sudden I realize how much I miss everyone and it’s been less than a month that I don’t get to hang out with them. Peter’s voice brings me back to reality.

“Covey? Are you OK? Are you going to cry?” He panics.

I don’t realize that my eyes glisten as I try to hold back tears from the overwhelming emotion I just felt. I can still hear Peter’s friends at the background.

“I’m fine. I just saw the picture that you posted and read the comments from all our friends. I kinda miss them,” I explain.

“Hey, Lara Jean,” Peter’s friends are now taking his phone and saying hello to me. They are used to seeing us FaceTime-ing each other every night before bed. “We can no longer cope with having to listen to Peter saying how much he misses you every few hours.” All of them laugh. They like to playfully tease us. Peter says they are jealous because none of them are in a relationship right now. In fact, his roommate, Eddie, broke up with his girlfriend just before they started college.

The boys tell me that they are going to a party. They ask Peter if he changes his mind just before they close the door which he replies with, “You guys go have fun!”

Peter grabs his phone and moves to his bed. He rests his head at the headboard and shifts a few times searching for a comfortable position. He finally faces to the phone and gives me his full attention. His tired eyes suddenly light up and his face breaks into a huge grin.

“Hmm, is there anything funny on my face?” I ask with a tone of uncertainty.

“Nope, you look perfect. If there’s one thing Gabe is right about is the fact that I am indeed the luckiest guy on the planet,” he replies, still with a huge smile on his face.

“Stop, you’re making me blush!”

“You better get used to it. We are together for more than 2 years now. What are you still so embarrassed about? Besides, all I ever do is stating facts that you should already know.”

“Come on, let’s talk about something else,” I try to change the subject. The fact that he says all he ever does is stating facts makes my stomach jitters. “Peter, is there anything wrong with your lacrosse practice?”

“One of my teammates injured his ankles and probably he’s going to need surgery. Our coach wasn’t sure if he could recover in time for our first game next month,” he explains.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope nothing bad will ever happen to you. Now I’m a bit worried. I never thought about how brutal that game can be.”

“Don’t worry, Lara Jean. I’ll always be careful and I can take care of myself,” he assures me along with a smirk and a wink.

I blush. It’s not fair how handsome he is. “Ok, good. So, tell me about your day,” I try to ask something else to save myself from another embarrassment.

“Hmm, nothing much. I got up really early today for practice. We finished around 9. Then, I showered and attended all my classes. I am not really busy yet. But, I will be after Labor Day cause it’s getting closer to our first game.”

I see Peter rubs his eyes. Then, both of us yawn and we laugh at this coincidence.

“Sleep, Lara Jean. You look tired.”

“No, /you/ look tired. You have stayed up since like what? 5? 6? Do you have morning practice tomorrow?”

“Nah, I have practice after class tomorrow.”

“Good, you need the extra time to sleep. By the way, is there any specific place that you like to visit next week? And will your mom be fine with you spending your time with me?” Peter’s mom is not really fond of me. She invited me for dinner a couple of times after the break up incident that she caused. She always smiled when she saw me, but I could see that she faked it. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe we should search for a destination within 4-5 hours drive from Chapel Hill. Let’s talk about it tomorrow. And, yes, my mom already approved. I mentioned the idea to her two days ago and she said it was alright if we wanted to go on a trip.”

“Awesome. Goodnight, Peter. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Covey. I love you more.”

I smile. We don’t hang up, I put my phone on my nightstand, placing it carefully against the books so Peter can still see me. I rest my head on the pillow and look at my phone. Peter is staring at me.

“Peter?”

“Hmm?”

“What are you doing? Stop staring at me.”

“I still wanna see your face. I’ll hang up the phone when you’re asleep.”

I close my eyes. But I can feel Peter’s gaze upon me. So I open them again.

”Peter, I can feel your eyes on my face.”

”I guess you just have to get used to it, Covey. Whenever we are together, I’m always going to wait for you to fall asleep before me.”

I shrug, “Sure, but you don’t need to keep looking at me.” I yawn.

“Ssshh… try to sleep. I am allowed to look at you whenever I want. You’re mine.”

His answer makes me blush again. Thankfully my room is dark, so he can’t see my cheeks turn red. I close my eyes and ignore his eyes on me. It’s not so hard for me to fall asleep as all my energy is drained from my classes and catching up on the overwhelming amount of assignments. In less than 5 minutes, I drift off away from reality.

Peter knows Lara Jean is asleep now. He whispers softly with a slight hint of sadness, “Sleep tight, Covey. I can’t wait to see you next week, you know, without a screen between us. I love you.” Then, he hangs up the phone.

Lara Jean’s phone lights up 5 minutes after the call ended. An instagram notification appears.

@peterkavinsky: you know i love you @larajeansongcover always and forever xx


	2. Even When It's Hard

**Chapter 2: Even When It's Hard**

_Ugh._

My alarm goes off the next morning at 7. I press the snooze button. I'm still lying on the bed, shifting into a more comfortable position. With my eyes still shut, I try to remember what time my first class is.

"Lara Jean, wake up. Lara Jean, wake up!" Emily shouts at me from her bed. "Turn it off, please!"

"I'm sorry," I say, reaching for my phone. I must have dozed off just now. I press the stop button to turn my alarm off. I turn my head to look at the person on the bed at the other side of the room. Emily already falls back to sleep. I wonder what time she came back last night.

I start to stretch within my cosy, warm bed. I roll out of bed and tie my hair before jumping into the shower. I try to decide what to wear as I apply my all-time favorite body wash all over my body. It has vanilla scent, Peter always says it reminds him of Christmas morning and every other good memories. I am wide awake after shower.

Ten minutes later, I stand in front of the mirror to check myself out. I am wearing a vintage striped loose tee with a denim button-front skirt, and pair it with my comfy white sneakers. I put my hair in a messy bun, then apply some mascara and lip gloss. Now, I am ready for the day. I take a picture of myself in front of the mirror to send it to Peter later. He likes it when I send him pictures of me.

I walk to my desk to check on my schedule. My morning class starts at 9.  _Sigh._  I could have slept for another hour. Forget it. Maybe I can submit my two half-finished assignments before I leave for class. I turn on my laptop and look around the room that I share with Emily.

The room is not big, but it feels like home already. What I love the most about our room is we have our own private spaces. Our bathroom is at the far left corner of our room. My bed is located next to the left side of our door, while Em's is just across the door. To the right side of the door by the window is our favorite corner where we usually talk, read, watch movies together, share snacks and so on. We just placed a big fluffy peach rug with different shades of grey floor pillows, also a few small indoor plants above our little bookshelf to decorate our little lounging area. We even went overboard by hanging cotton ball string lights on the wall.

I check my phone as I wait my laptop to turn on. I smile and feel a familiar warmth growing in my cheeks from reading a respond I got from Peter last night on Instagram. I quickly send him a picture I took just now along with a text message, "Wakey, wakey, rise and shine! I love you, Peter K. Always and forever."

—

I feel my phone buzzes inside my bag. It's a text from Peter.

Peter: Morning, Covey

Peter: You look gorgeous

Peter: It's unfair how the guys in UNC get to enjoy the beauty of my gf everyday

Lara Jean: Hi, you just woke up?

Peter: Nah

Lara Jean: I'm in the middle of chem 102

Lara Jean: Extremely boring

Peter: LOL

Peter: I'm not having fun either

Peter: I guess chem class is a lot more exciting when I sat in front of you, huh?

Lara Jean: Probably *eye roll emoji*

Peter: WHAT?

Peter: Probably?

Peter: You're killing me, Covey

Lara Jean: *hand over mouth emoji*

A guy who is sitting next to me shushes me when I let out a silent giggle. He looks annoyed. My cheeks burn hot. I put my phone back into my bag and ignore the next buzz that I'm sure comes from Peter.

When the professor dismisses the class, I immediately take out my phone and read Peter's text. "Have you called your dad about the plan?" He asks.

"Gee, you just can't live without your phone, can you?" The same guy from earlier retorts before he takes off.

 _What is wrong with that guy?_  I ignore him and speed dial Daddy. I wait for him to pick up as I step outside my classroom to go to the library.

"Lara Jean?" He greets me.

"Hi Daddy. Are you in the hospital?"

"No. I had a night shift last night, I just got back home."

"You must be really tired."

"Nah, I'm alright. What's up?"

"Hmm," I hesitate, not sure how to ask him.  _Why am I nervous? It's not a big deal, or is it?_

"Yes?" He asks, waiting for my answer.

I just have to say it before I lose my nerve. "Daddy, I don't think I'm going back home this weekend, if that's alright with you."

"Oh. Are you going somewhere else?" He sounds curious.

"Hmm, yes. I, um, plan to, maybe…" I stutters.

"Sorry, what? I don't get it," he says and continues to help me finish my sentence. "You plan to go somewhere with Peter?"

I stop walking. "Mhmm," I answer nervously.

I hear my dad guffaws as he senses a trace of anxiety from my voice. I don't know why, but I find myself relieved at his laughter.

"Why are you so stressed out about it? You know you can tell me anything, right?" I can still hear him chuckles as he asks me.

"I know. It's just that…" I'm searching for the right words to explain to Daddy. "Maybe it's because I feel bad not going home for the holiday. Instead, I'm about to ask permission from my dad whether or not it's okay for me to go on a trip with my boyfriend, just the two of us. It's like I'm choosing my boyfriend over my family, which makes me feel guilty," I ramble, unsure of how he will react.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. It's only gonna be just the two of you?" He sounds surprised.

"Yes."

Silence.  _Oh God. What does it mean? Why doesn't he say anything?_  My heart sinks.

"So, it's a no?" I ask carefully, uncertain. Another silence.

After what feels like forever, my dad laughs and says, "Of course you can go, Lara Jean. It's totally fine. I'm glad you're always honest with me."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" I let out a sigh of relief, I didn't realize I was holding my breath.

"I was just building the tension. I found it funny. I'm sorry," he lets out another chuckles. "So, where are you guys going?"

"Daddy! It's not funny!" I shriek in annoyance, but smile thinking how my awkward, shy and quiet dad can be very playful when it comes to his family members, especially with his daughters. "We don't know yet. Peter told me he prefers somewhere we can reach within a 4-5 hours drive from Chapel Hill. Any ideas?"

"Ugh, you know I suck at planning a trip. You and Margo have always been the planners in the family."

"True. Well, we don't know yet. I'll let you know when we've decided," I tell him. "Um, are you really okay with me not going home?"

"Totally. Trina, Kitty and I will come up with something to keep us occupied during the holiday. Go have fun! You deserve it," he assures me.

"Okay, thanks Daddy. I gotta go. I'm in front of the library now. Go get some rest."

"I will, sweetheart. Don't worry. Trina always makes sure I get enough sleep. Don't forget to grab some lunch," he reminds me. He hangs up the phone.

I am thankful to have Trina by my dad's side. He is a lot happier and more cheerful ever since they've been together. I hate the idea of leaving Daddy and Kitty at home just the two of them. My dad is a busy man, I don't know how he can take care of Kitty if I'm not home to help him. However, now that we have Trina, our family feels complete. Sure, it will never replace our Mommy, but I guess it's enough to fill in a mother's role. I gotta say Trina is not the best in organizing a house, but she takes really good care of my dad and Kitty, which is all we need. Also, she is exceptionally close with Kitty, and I am grateful for that.

I sit at the end corner near the book shelves, like I always do. I remember back in the day I used to obsess over McGregor room in UVA, but as I stepped foot in Wilson Library, I instantly fell in love with it. Due to tight security, less people come here, which adds to the reasons why I love it. The building is beautiful; it's covered in marble, decorated in wood, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

I take out my laptop and books. Then, I grab my phone and text Peter while taking a bite of my chicken cheese sandwich.

Lara Jean: Good news, we got daddy's consent!

Lara Jean: Good luck with your practice later

Lara Jean: Sending you a virtual hug

Half an hour later, Peter replies.

Peter: Just got out of class

Peter: Awesome, I'm going to visit him tomorrow during my free period

Peter: Any advice?

Lara Jean: Just be your usual charming self *winky emoji*

Peter: I wanna hug you so much rn *crying face emoji*

Lara Jean: You can hug me as much as you want this weekend

Peter: I'll hold you to your word

Peter: I'm gonna call you as soon as I finish practice

Peter: I love you, Covey

Lara Jean: Ok, have fun

Peter: *kiss emoji"

"Why are you always on your phone?"

_Oh God. Seriously?!_

I look up and see the same guy from Chemistry class who shushed me earlier. "Excuse me?" I ask him in a tone of annoyance, I don't even bother to hide my annoyed expression. I don't get why he needs to be rude. We're not even friends. I don't even know his name.

He is setting his things on a desk in front of me, that makes us sit opposite to each other. I look around the library, there is hardly anyone here.

As if he can read my mind, he introduces himself, "I am Liam, by the way, in case you're wondering. We attend almost the same classes everyday. I like to sit with a familiar face, so… Do you mind?"

 _Oh, now, he's asking permission? He basically has set all his things on the desk. Who am I to say no?_  I shrug and say, "I'm Lara Jean."

"I know," he responds back, but I ignore him and return to my assignment. Before he can ask me another question or say any petty comments about me and my phone, I plug my earphone and turn on a song.

By the time I look at the clock, it's nearly time to head off to Biology class. I am quite proud of myself today. I have so far submitted 2 assignments and 1 lab report, which leaves me with 1 Calculus homework and 1 other group assignment.

Just before I turn off my laptop, Al Green's Let's Stay Together is playing. I stop and listen for a while. I close my eyes, trying to remember our dance at prom. I remember he took my hand and put it on his heart, he even sang a little. I love listening to his voice, I wish he sings more often. I beam at the sweet memory. I miss him so much.

As I step out of the library, I hear someone calls my name, chasing after me, "Lara Jean, wait up!"

I turn my head to the direction of the voice. Liam is running across the field towards me. I keep walking. He arrives at my side and slows down, adjusting his pace with mine. "Hey, I'm sorry. I think we started off on the wrong foot. I tend to say the wrong things whenever I'm nervous, so…"

"Apology accepted," I reply sincerely.

"Are you going to biology?" he asks.

"Yep."

"Me too," he says with a smile.

I don't say anything.

My mind drifts off to Peter. What will he think if he sees me walking to a class with another guy? I know it's not a big deal. But, I think he will not be too happy about it. It's not that we feel insecure with our relationship. I'm proud to say that we trust each other enough not to restrict one another to befriend the opposite sex. Maybe I should tell Peter about him.

—

I am searching for destination ideas that Peter and I can visit this weekend. I want to go somewhere special with him. However, I have no idea where to go. That's when I decide to call my big sister, Margot, for help.

"Hi, Lara Jean. I heard from Daddy that you're going on a trip with Peter," she sounds very excited.

News really do travel fast in the Covey household.

"Yeah, about that…"

"What? Is anything wrong?"

"Not really. I just have no idea where to go."

"Well, have you discussed it with Peter?"

I shake my head, forgetting that I am on the phone and Margot can't see me.

As if she can see me, she convinces me, "Hey, it's gonna be fine. You guys will figure it out. Besides, it's not a matter of where you guys are going to, it's whom you are going with that makes it special."

"I know. But since this is going to be our first trip together just the two of us, I want it to be extra special."

She gasps. "Are you planning to l—"

I cut her off, "Gogo!" My face turns red.

She giggles, "Well? Are you?"

"No," I say too quickly. "Maybe? I don't know. I haven't given it much thought yet."

"Oh okay. I mean, you don't need to rush it if you're not ready yet."

"Is it weird that we haven't done it after all these years?" I ask, doubtful.

"Of course not. Why would you think that? Is he pressuring you to do it?" Gogo questions. Now she sounds worried.

"No, no, no," I reply quickly. I don't want her to think that Peter forces me to do anything I don't wanna do or am not prepared to do.

"Are you sure?" I hear a hint of doubt.

"One hundred percent. He's a total gentleman, Gogo. In fact, he never even asks me about it. I was the one who brought up the matter at hand last year. He mentioned something like 'you're the one driving the bus'" I imitate his voice, then chuckle.

"Hey, Lara Jean," suddenly she sounds very serious.

"Mmhm?" I answer nervously.

"I'm glad you're with Peter. Honestly, at first I was worried when I heard that you two were a thing, you know. I thought he was a stereotypical jock, I was so worried that he eventually would hurt you. But, as I get to know him last summer, he continues to impress me. I think he's a sweet and thoughtful guy and I can tell he loves you very much."

"Aw, Gogo. Thank you so much for saying that. It really means a lot, you know. Especially, coming from you," I tell her sincerely. "Peter always thinks you're the most difficult to impress. He is more worried about your opinion than Daddy's."

Gogo laughs. "Well, I have to make sure that my sister dates a great guy. I guess I'm protective that way." She yawns.

"Thanks, Gogo. You are the best sister. Go and get some sleep. Say hi to Ravi for me."

"Will do. Good night, Lara Jean," she hangs up.

—

Emily comes back around 5.30, just as I step out of the shower. She tells me about her photoshoot last night. And, she also asks me to consider helping her as a model for her project tomorrow as another model of hers is ill.

I think for a few seconds and say, "Why don't you try to find someone else first? And if you still can't find a replacement by lunch time tomorrow, I'll do it."

She's so relieved to hear my answer. I can see that this project is stressing her out. We talk a little bit about our day. Then, right before she goes into the bathroom, I ask her about Liam.

"Em, do you happen to know a guy named Liam?"

"I'm not sure. Should I?"

I laugh. Emily is really outgoing, she knows a lot of people even though we have only been here for less than a month. I tell her about him.

"What a weirdo. Maybe he has a crush on you or something," she frowns, thinking hard. "I'm pretty sure I don't know him. But I'll check him out for you."

"There's no need. I'm not that curious, actually. I just think he's weird. Also, I don't like the way he makes petty little comments. That's all." Then, I add, "Do you think I should tell Peter about him?"

"Hmm, it's up to you. You can tell him, but don't you think it's just going to make him feel anxious?"

"I'll think about it."

—

I am sipping my Night-Night tea while scanning through Em's portfolio that she leaves at our corner. She's not in the room right now. She said she was going to pull an all nighter at the library to finish an essay due tomorrow.

It's almost 10, I haven't heard a word from Peter.  _He should still be at practice. Or maybe he's taking a shower now. I'm not sure._  Suddenly, my phone rings from my nightstand. I get up and quickly pick it up.

"Peter?"

"Hi Covey."

"I miss you so much, Peter."

He responds in his serious, deep voice, "Me too, Covey, me too. You have no idea how much I miss you."

Silence fills the air. Then, I hear him let out a long, soft sigh, breaking the silence. I try to cheer us up, "It's gonna get better. We're gonna be fine."

"Of course, we are." Even though I can't see him, I know that he's smiling when he says it.

"So, I've been thinking about our trip. I have been browsing the internet for hours and I still don't have even the slightest idea where to go," I panic.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't worry about it, Covey. I've got it covered."

"Seriously?" I ask in disbelief.

"Hey! Are you doubting me? When have I ever let you down?"

"Where are we going, then?"

"It's a secret."

"What?! Come on, Peter. I wanna know."

"Nope, I'm not gonna tell you. It's a punishment. So that next time you know better not to doubt me ever again."

"That's not fair."

"I'm still not going to tell you. It's a surprise. I'm sure you'll love it."

"Fine," I give up. I see no way where I can win this. Peter can be stubborn if he wants to. Besides, it makes the trip even more exciting, in my opinion. I think it's very sweet of him to take this trip seriously and really make an effort for it to be special for the both of us.

"Tell me about your day," Peter says.

I tell him everything. Waking up earlier than I needed to, finishing more than half of my assignments (which he responds with an, "I'm proud of you, Covey. I know you can do it."), my phone calls with Daddy (Peter laughs so hard when I tell him how nervous I was and how Daddy playfully tricked me) and my sister (he is very moved by Gogo's remark). I also mentioned about Emily asking me to become her model that he is so enthusiastic about.

I hesitate for a while whether or not I should tell him about Liam. As a matter of fact, it's not really important since I have no interest in him whatsoever. I mean, we are not even friends. His behavior towards me, however, is pretty weird. Finally, I decide to tell him. I believe that honesty is the best policy. We promised each other to always tell the truth, no matter how hard it is. I guess, it includes no matter how big or small it is too.

"Peter, there's something I wanna tell you."

"Oh shit, I don't like the sound of it. What is it?"

And so, I tell him everything about Liam. How he shushed me, his annoying comments, his choice of seat despite of all the empty desks, how he said he knew my name and how he told me that he usually said the wrong things when he was nervous. I tell Peter everything, with all little details that I can remember.

Peter doesn't say anything after I finish my story. So, I ask, "Peter, are you mad at me?"

He sighs before he answers, "Of course not. But, I can't say the same about this Liam guy."

"I have no intention to make you worried, Peter. I don't like to keep things from you. I told Emily about this and she told me there was no point in making you anxious."

"Lara Jean, it's okay. I can't deny the fact that I don't like Liam. Cause to me, it sounds like he's interested in my girlfriend. But, I trust you and I know you love me. So, I don't think I need to feel insecure or anything, do I?"

"Absolutely not. I'm glad we are so in-sync. I mean I was also thinking about how much we trust each other that we don't need to feel insecure about our relationship."

"Yep. Don't we sound so mature?" He says proudly. "I am really glad you told me. You can always tell me anything, Covey. I mean it. Don't be scared to tell me anything."

"I know. Peter and Lara Jean will always tell each other the truth, even when it's hard."

Suddenly, I feel warmth creeps up all over my body when I say the words out loud.

"Peter?" I call him softly.

"Mmhm?"

"Lara Jean will love Peter with all her heart, always."

I can feel that he is smiling as he hears it. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you just now. Do you mind repeating it?"

"Nah, sorry. It's a one-time thing," I laugh. I know he heard what I just told him.

"I love you, Covey."

After that, he tells me all about his day until we are both ready to sleep.

"Um, Covey, do you mind to keep me posted about Liam?" He hesitates, not wanting to sound jealous.

"Whatever keeps your mind at peace, Peter Kavinsky."

"Good. I'm not jealous or anything, well, maybe I am. But, I want you to believe me when I say that I do trust you."

"I know. I'd do the exact same thing if someone's flirting with my oh-so attractive boyfriend." I assure him to make him feel better.

Peter bursts into a loud cackle of laughter. His laughter is like music to my ears. I realize how much Peter affects me. His happiness somehow can make me twice as happy.

"Peter, can I make one small request before we go to bed?"

"It depends."

"Well, it's nothing bad. Promise me you'll do it."

"What is it?"

"Promise me first."

"I can't. You tell me first."

"Please." I beg sweetly.

I'm sure he is considering now. Peter always gives in whenever I say a few magic words, sometimes as simple as "please". I'm glad Daddy taught his daughters well about the importance of saying please. It works wonders, especially with Peter.

"Alright, Covey. I promise. What do you want?"

I beam at his response. "Can you please sing our song for me?"

"Right now?" He asks in his hoarse voice, which is a sign of him being nervousness. Peter all in all is pretty much a confident guy. So, it's cute when he's nervous, especially when I know I'm the reason behind it.

"Mmhm. I was listening to our song at the library earlier today. And it took me back to our prom dance."

He doesn't say anything for at least 15 seconds. Then, he mumbles, "Fine. I'll do it."

I let out a shriek. "I love you so much, Peter Kavinsky. With all my heart."

Then, he starts singing. Our song. Just for me. It feels as if my heart is dancing around my chest. That familiar warmth I've been feeling ever since I met Peter stretches throughout my entire body. It feels weird, yet so right. I guess, this is what it feels like to fall deeply in love with someone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you for reading! So, I kinda want to make a guy has a crush on Lara Jean, since we all know that Peter is usually the one who receives all the attention. Maybe I need to further develop Liam's character? I'm still not sure yet. Let me know what you guys think about it. I really hope you guys enjoy it. Have a nice day :)


	3. You and Me, Kid

**Chapter 3: You and Me, Kid**

Emily is impatiently tapping her fingers on our wooden table. We are both sitting in a local diner just nearby our campus, waiting for our food to come. She keeps staring at her phone, checking it every five seconds. She hasn't found a replacement yet and it's only hours away till the photoshoot. Well, actually she has sent emails to a couple of models from her previous project, but none of them confirm yet.

I keep staring at her phone nervously too. I promised her last night that I would model for her as a last resort.

Our food arrives. Cinnamon toast for me and cheese & sausage omelet for Em. We also ordered two servings of chocolate shake, one for each of us. I snap a picture of my food and send it to Peter. I text him, "Missing le bf, so I ordered his favorite."

Em's phone buzzes and both of us look at each other, hopeful. She drops her spoon, wipes her hand with a napkin and checks her phone. She sighs, the kind that signals bad news. I feel sorry for her. She is all tensed these past couple of days. She spends all her time attending classes, writing essays, and taking pictures for her project and portfolio. I barely see her in our room.

"Hey, Em," I call her, feeling unsure with myself, "I, um, I will do it." I say finally with hesitation.

Emily looks up at me. She seems as if she's going to cry. Her eyes are sparkling with tears of joy. "You're really gonna do that for me?" She asks, overwhelmed by my sudden change of mind.

"Oh, why not?" I laugh skeptically, then ask, "Are you sure I'm the right fit for it, though?"

"Ugh, I've been telling you since ages ago. You're perfect for it! Thank you so much, Lara Jean."

"Anytime for my favorite roommate."

Her face breaks into a grin. "Your class finishes at 2, right?"

"Mmhm," I take a gulp of my chocolate shake.

"I'll be waiting for you at the gate next to our dormitory."

I nod.

After that, all her worries disappear. I tell her about my upcoming trip with Peter. We laugh and giggle like schoolgirls. Em is back to her usual cheerful self.

—

Loud knocking on my door wakes me up from my brief nap. I jump out of the bed and open the door.

An old man with a radiant smile holds out a medium-sized box to me. "A package for Ms. Covey," he says with a cheery voice.

"That's me. Where do I sign?"

I close the door and head to my desk. I am wondering who would send me a package. Maybe it's from Margot. I'm excited to find out what she sends me from Scotland. I reach inside my bag and take my key so that it's easier for me to open the box.

I see a big box of Milk Duds and another box of Sour Patch Kids, along with a Nicholas Spark novel that I've been wanting to buy for a while to add to my collection.  _Wow! These are all my favorite things in a box! My sister surely does know me so well. If only, she can fit Peter inside the box too._  I find a small card that says: you're my favorite notification. I look at it in confusion.  _Well, that's a little weird coming from Gogo. No, scratch that. It is very weird._  As I reach the bottom of the box, I find a letter. There's a very familiar handwriting on the envelope. I feel butterflies flying around inside my stomach.  _OH!_  This is from Peter. He surprises me with a care package which is very cute and adorable of him. I stare at all the things I just received from Peter. And then, I look up to the wall where I hang a picture of Peter and I. I stare into Peter's eyes and say, "How can I be so lucky to deserve a guy like you? You always know how to sweep me off my feet."

I turn my head to look at the clock behind me.  _Crap, I'm gonna be late for class._  I grab my book, phone, key and the letter from Peter and throw them all inside my bag in one swift motion.

—

 _Phew._  I am not late. I even arrive four minutes early. The professor hasn't arrived yet by the time I enter the class. I slowly scan the room to find a good spot. It's not really hard to find an empty seat as there are not many students in the class yet. I guess I'm not the last student to arrive. I choose the one on the fifth row in the center of the classroom.

I am staring blankly to the professor's desk, still trying to control the rhythm of my breathing from the sprint I just did to get here. A voice comes from my left side, "Hey Lara Jean, do you mind if I sit here?" Liam points at the empty seat next to me.

I look around the room, students almost occupy all the empty seats in just two minutes. So, I nod and say, "Sure."

I take my book and stationery out when the professor enters the room and tells us to open to page 109. He asks us to work in pair and submit the result at the end of the class.

It seems like Liam is a very bright student, and funny too. He seems like a good and polite guy when he's not saying annoying comments to my face. We have a very smooth discussion and finish earlier than the others. The professor dismisses us as soon as we submit our paper.

We walk out of the class together. He asks me, "Have you joined any student organization yet?"

"Yeah. I signed up for Korean-American student association last week and we're going to have our first meeting next Wednesday . What about you?"

"I play as a striker in our soccer club."

"Oh, wow. Go Tar Heels!" I exclaim mimicking the voice of a cheerleader.

He laughs. "Yeah."

Now that he mentioned it, I can see that his body is in great shape with muscles here and there. Not as big as Peter though.

"The practice must be tough," I say.

"You have no idea," he replies.

"Well, my boyfriend is a lacrosse player in UVA. He needs to practice everyday, condition, strength training and all that. So, I guess it won't be too different with you guys," I state matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you have a boyfriend?" He is curious, while trying to hide his surprise.

"I do. We have been together for more than two years now." I check my phone, it's almost two. I better go meet Emily. "Anyway, I am meeting a friend. I'll see you around."

"Cool. See you, Lara Jean."

As I walk across the field, I call Peter. "Peter?"

"Hi Covey. Well, this is a nice surprise."

" _You_  sent me a wonderful surprise. Thank you for sending me all of those. I got your post just before I left for class. I thought it was from Gogo. I was kind of confused when I saw the 'you're my favorite notification' card. But then I found your letter at the bottom. I haven't read it, though. I was almost late for class just now, but I have it in my bag. I will read it as soon as I get the chance to."

"It's fine, Lara Jean. You don't need to worry about it. Are you walking somewhere?"

"I haven't told you this, but I volunteered to help Em with her photoshoot. So… I am meeting her in a few minutes."

"That's great! I can't wait to see the photos. Please send them to me later, okay?"

"If the pictures turn out alright,  _maybe_  I'll let you see," I tell him, emphasizing on the word 'maybe'.

"It's okay, you don't need to. I can ask Emily to send them to me. I have her number, remember?" I can imagine the smug on his face.

"You're unbelievable, Kavinsky. Do you have any more classes today?"

"Yes, in fact, I am already standing in front of my next class. And, I have practice after that."

"Peter, I just told Liam that I have a boyfriend." I suddenly remember.

"You did?"

I tell him about the class and the conversation we had after. I can tell Peter was tensed when I began the storytelling, but as I reach the end of it, he sounds more relaxed.

"Which means you don't have anything to worry about, Peter Kavinsky."

"All's fair in love and war, Covey. Gosh, you're so naive." I know he's joking. I know he is relieved to hear what I just told him.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes.

He roars with laughter. "I have to go. The class is about to start. Talk to you later?"

"Mmhm. I love you, Peter."

"I love you too. You'll do great in the photoshoot."

—

"Okay, Lara Jean. Now, give me an 'I'm gonna kill you' kinda stare," Em directs me. "Yes, that's a really good one. Now, look at that direction and lift up your chin just a tiny bit. That's it."

I think Emily is a really good photographer. She gives me a clear direction of how she wants the picture to turn out to be, especially for someone like me who doesn't have any experience whatsoever of posing for a fashion editorial shoot, whatever that means. Also, she makes me feel comfortable doing all these poses, even the weird ones. Those who say that being a model is easy definitely have never try to walk in their shoes. In my opinion, it's even harder than being a performer cause people need to be able to feel the emotion, the mood and the message you're trying to deliver just by looking at a still picture, or else it's just going be another soulless image.

Em shrieks in excitement for I don't know many times. She is extremely satisfied with how the pictures turn out to be. She keeps saying things like, "OMG, Lara Jean. You're a natural!" or "Look at this one! It's gorgeous. I mean… do you see the look in your eyes? It looks fierce, yet sultry. Ugh!" or "This has got to be my favorite picture of you." except she says that for at least 10 pictures. Well, I'm glad that my first attempt of being a model is not a complete disaster.

"I think I got everything I need. Thank you so much for doing this for me. Give me 15 minutes. I'll pack up my things and then let's get out of here," she tells me with cheery voice.

I take this chance to read Peter's letter.

_Dear Lara Jean,_

_You're welcome. I know you're gonna be over the moon, not particularly because of the things inside the box, but because the gesture itself is very sweet and romantic. Am I right or am I right?_

_So, I've been secretly planning a special trip for us. I haven't asked you about your plan for next weekend yet. I am planning to ask you soon, though, probably tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll be agreeing to the idea of going on a short getaway with me. Fingers crossed._

_I miss you. I miss you. I MISS YOU. It's killing me not to be able to see you in person everyday or to hug you, either to comfort you or just as simple as to remind you of how much you mean to me._

_I know that we keep saying to ourselves that this long distance relationship thing is going to get better. But, let's be honest, it's never going to be. It's always going to be hard, if not harder. But, I'm sure we can make it through, no matter how hard it will get. You and me, Covey. We will make it through. Cause at the end of the day, we both know it's gonna be worth it._

_Love,_

_Your Peter K._

Peter's letter makes me feel emotional. I'm really close to crying. I don't know whether I can hold the tears any longer. I feel a strange feeling inside me, something that I have been trying so hard to ignore. It's pain. Not a heartbreak kind of pain, though. It's different. This feels like it's radiating deep inside the bones, then it sends out goosebumps all over my body. There's also this uncomfortable feeling in the gut, like you have just been punched by someone. And, I think Peter feels it too, that makes me feel even worse. I know his letter is sweet and optimistic, but I don't like to think that he's hurting.

Em calls me from behind my back, "Are you ready to go?" Her face shows a sign of terror when she sees my face. She makes a swift move to embrace me. "Oh my God, what happened? Did something bad happen?" Her voice is unsure and anxious.

I stay quiet, crying inside her hug.

"Talk to me, Lara Jean. What's the matter? Did something terrible happen at home? Is there anything wrong with your dad or sisters? Did you fight with Peter? He seemed alright like five minutes ago. Cause I texted him, I sent him your pictures from our shoot today. And he didn't mention anything about a fight."

Now, I feel stupid and weak. Maybe I was just overreacting.

"Hey, you know I'm always here for you, right? I'm not Peter or your sisters, but I see you as  _my_  sister, even though we've just known each other for a month. And whatever it is, I am not going to judge you."

I nod.

"You can tell me whenever you're ready. And, it's totally fine too if you don't. Do you want me to give some space?"

I shake my head.

"Okay, let's get you home."

Em slowly lets go of her hug and holds my forearm instead, guiding me out of the studio. The sky is dark when we step out of the building. Cool breeze of evening wind touches my skin. It instantly makes me feel a lot better. I am starting to feel in control over my emotion. I try to focus on my breathing, something that Margot taught me several years ago.  _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale._

"I miss Peter so much, it hurts. And I know he feels it too."

"Hmm…" Em seems confused, but overall very calm. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Isn't it? He's hurting because of me."

"Okay, let me give you a lecture about the issue at hand. First of all, I don't want you to think that you're overreacting. It is normal to feel the way you are feeling right now, like 'you miss someone so much, it hurts' and 'you don't want someone to hurt because of you'. Actually, if I'm being honest with you, it's good that both of you feel that way. You can only feel that towards someone you care deeply. Also, you guys are still getting a hold of this long-distance situation. Everyone knows it's not easy. You guys went to the same school, spent hours together everyday for two years and suddenly you two can't physically be there for each other anymore. That's a pretty big turning point," she explains.

"I guess that makes sense," I agree.

"Hell yeah! I'm speaking from my own experience, you know? Of course, I'm right," she gives me a proud smirk. "Just don't be too hard on yourself, Lara Jean. You are allowed to grieve when you are missing him too much. Cry as much as you want. Just let it all out." She says it with a very funny dramatic hand movement, spinning both of her hands in front of her chest in circular motion.

I let out a roar of laughter. "Thanks, Em. How can I survive college without you?" I quote her.

"I know right!" She is laughing too now. "Besides, you miss him because you feel incomplete without him. Isn't it the beauty of love, Lara Jean? And here I am thinking that you're a romantic," she teases me and rolls her eyes.

—

I finally finish my part for the group assignment and send it to Aaron. I shut down my laptop, make two cups of Night-Night tea and walk to our favorite corner. Emily is already lounging there, writing her essay. I join her, not to do anymore assignments, but to read a novel that Peter sent me. I should probably do my Math homework, but I think I've had enough for the day, I still have tomorrow anyway.

Around 10, Emily goes to the bathroom to take a shower. She says she has a headache from writing an essay, so she needs a long shower. It's an Emily thing. She always does that whenever she's not feeling well. According to her, shower is the best therapy.

My phone buzzes. Peter is FaceTime-ing me. I check on my reflection, my eyes are puffy and red from all the crying.  _Sigh._

"Hey, rabbit eyes. Were you really that touched by my thoughtful out-of-the-way present?"

Peter always knows how to comfort me. My lips turn upward, smiling brightly at him. A surge of warmth rushes through me.

"What's wrong with my favorite girl?"

"Nothing. I'm fine now."

"So, why weren't you before?"

"Umm, PMS," I lie.

"You're lying, Covey. I can tell. Besides, you just finished your period. How are you having another PMS?" This is absurd. He is so observant that he even knows my period cycle.

"I was just having an emotional breakdown."

"What about?"

"I don't know," I hesitate. "Us?"

"But we're fine. We're great, aren't we?" He's getting confused.

"Absolutely," I try to convince him. "Nah, it's not a big deal, Peter." I talk about all the conversation I had with Em earlier without leaving out any details.

"Oh, Lara Jean. This is what I hate about long-distance relationship. I wish I can hug you right now. If only I can be there for you to make you feel better."

"Well, this wouldn't even have happened if we are not in a long-distance relationship in the first place."

"I know. I'm sorry if I'm being stupid with my letter."

"No, please, don't say that. Your letter is very sweet, Peter. I really like it. You sound vulnerable in it and I can feel raw emotion coming from it. Please keep it that way when you're writing your letters to me."

"Alright," he looks unconvinced.

We talk all night. He tells me about his day, his teammates and so on. Just before we hang up, he says, "Lara Jean, I miss you everyday. I feel the exact same kind of pain too, but I want you to know that I never think of it as a burden. This relationship,  _our_  relationship, is a beautiful thing. There's so much more to it than just the pain of missing each other badly. This long distance thing is totally worth it."

I don't say anything right away. I am taken aback by what Peter just told me. His genuine words ring true. He turns out to be a very dependable man that I can always rely on and I am ever so grateful.

I only give him a sincere, relieved smile and he smiles back at me. We are having our silent moment in which we just stare into each other's eyes, knowing in our hearts that everything is going to be alright between us.

Then I say, "It's you and me, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! First off, thank you for reading. Don't forget to leave comments for me. I really like to hear what you guys think about it haha. I hope you guys enjoy it. Have a nice weekend :)


	4. TGIF!

**Chapter 4: TGIF!**

Friday's here. Finally. I'm going on a trip with Peter tomorrow. I am very excited and I can't stop myself from smiling. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"Lara Jean, are you awake?" Em's calling me from her bed. We both don't have early morning classes on Friday, so we are still lying on the bed doing absolutely nothing.

"Mmhm," I hum lazily. "What's up?"

"Just wondering, what do you have planned for today?"

"Hmm, let me think," I try to make a to-do list in my head for a few minutes. Then, I continue, "I only have one class today at 11. Then, I should finish my Calculus homework and pack for tomorrow. Why did you ask?"

"Just curious. So, what are you going to bring to wherever it is you two are going?"

"Yeah, about that… I'm planning to ask for your opinion. What do you think I should pack?"

"Well, the weather's still warm. Just pack anything summery, like dresses, cute tees, maybe a couple of bikinis, you know, just in case."

"Maybe I should just pack now so that you can help me figure it out."

I can hear Em's suddenly jumping out of bed and running to my side of the room. This is another advantage of having a fashion photographer as your roommate. She makes sure you always dresses well without you even needing to make an effort for it. Em always says I have a good taste in fashion. But having her styles me once in a while makes my life a lot easier, especially for special occasions. Take right now as an example, she's already rummaging through my dresser, considering every available options.

She throws a lot of things to my bed. I see a white tank top, black short overalls, an off-the-shoulder top, ripped denim shorts, a couple of midi dresses, five pairs of bikinis and a couple others. I am pretty surprised by the amount of clothes she tells me to bring.

"Em, I'm only going for 2 and a half days," I remind her. With all the clothing she just chose for me, I can wear them in more than a week.

"I know. But you always need options, right? We don't know whether or not Peter's going to take you to a fancy dinner, that's why you should bring this," she says, showing a racy red dress. "And what if you guys g—"

"Woah, woah, woah, hang on," I suddenly stop her. "I don't remember buying that dress." My eyebrows met in confusion.

"Cause it's mine, I lend it to you just for this occasion," she rolls her eyes.

"Em, it won't even fit me. We have height difference, remember?" I am trying not to laugh as I imagine myself inside that dress.

"It will. Trust me. This is way too short for me, so it will be perfect on you."

"Nope. I will just bring some of these," I say as I start to put back some of my clothes inside my dresser and try to fit the rest into my traveling bag. "Thanks for your help, Em."

She looks a bit disappointed at me cause I dismissed more than half of the clothes she chose for me, so I give her an encouraging hug.

"Come on, let's get ready for class."

"Hang on. Do you think you're going to need  _protection_?" She raises an eyebrow, looking at me intently.

I don't immediately reply since I am not sure myself.  _Will I be needing it?_  Emily seems to understand the confusion that is obviously shown on my face, so she adds, "I think it's better for you to bring it, just in case. Better come prepared, Lara Jean."

I clear my throat and reply, "I guess you're right."

She opens her nightstand drawer and hands out a few packs to me. "Have fun, Lara Jean," she playfully teases me, giving a wink before she steps into the bathroom.

—

As I walk out from my class, I see Emily is coming towards me from across the hallway. Her class has just ended too. We march out of the building together along with hundreds other hungry students, discussing what to eat for lunch. We decide on eating pizza nearby the campus.

"Lara Jean, there's gonna be a party tonight. Will you go with me?"

I give it a thought before I answer, "Sure. But I can't stay for long, I wanna go to sleep earlier tonight."

"Alright," she smiles at me. "Oh by the way, you can bring a plus one."

"Aren't you my plus one?"

She ignores me, a wide smile is still fixed on her face.

—

We are walking across the field, talking about Em's plan for the weekend.

"Maybe I'm going to hibernate in our room until you come back."

I roll my eyes and laugh, telling her, "There's no way you can survive three days doing nothing. You have way too much energy for that."

"I can always watch Netflix or read a book."

"Maybe you will meet someone tonight at the party, then you can go on dates with the guy."

"I love the sound of it, meeting the love of my life," she says dreamily. "Then I can plan an entirely different activity in our room, focusing my energy on something else." She winks at me.

"You can do whatever you wanna do with the lucky guy as long as you stay away from my bed."

We are both roaring in laughter, when suddenly I feel a hand sliding into my back pocket. I turn my head around, ready to let out an angry retort, then I see it's only Peter.

"Oh Peter, don't scare me li—," I pause.

I stop walking, trying to process what I just saw and said. My heart stops beating.  _Did I just say Peter?_  I look up and there he is, Peter Kavinsky, my handsome boyfriend. I still cannot believe my eyes. He is standing right in front of me. His eyes light up and his face breaks into a huge grin. He wears a white short-sleeved button down shirt that I bought for him and short khaki pants. He looks pretty much the same as before we are in college, only his hair is getting a little bit longer and he looks more muscular from all the practices he's been doing. He looks more handsome, if that's even possible. My heart starts to beat again, gradually getting faster. My stomach flutters.

Peter steps forward and before I know it, he is hugging me tightly, making me forget where I am at the moment. I bury myself inside his embrace. I can smell the familiar detergent his mom's using, his soap and his scent. I never thought I can miss someone's scent this much.

"Oh Peter, I can't believe you're here," I shriek in excitement, circling my arms around his back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause it won't be a surprise if I told you," Peter responds softly in his raspy voice, planting a kiss on my forehead.

He inhales deeply into my hair. "I miss your coconut scent so much. I was seriously thinking of buying the shampoo and putting it next to my bed."

It feels surreal to be able to listen to his voice in person and physically touch him after being separated and only get to connect over the phone. I am grinning from ear to ear to be back inside Peter's hug. I don't want to ever let go of this, I think Peter won't mind. We can stay like this forever.

Emily clears her throat, "In case you forget, I'm still here." She teases us since it looks like we totally forget that we are not the only two people here.

We laugh at ourselves, but reluctant to let go of the hug.

"Come on, Em. Let us hug a little longer," I plead. I look at Em with my best attempt for adorable puppy eyes. She only smiles at me. She doesn't look as surprised as I am to see Peter, so I ask her, "Did he tell you about this?"

She shrugs at me with a smirk on her face. "I'm giving you guys exactly fifty two seconds starting from now, then we're leaving. I'm famished."

She's seriously staring at her watch waiting for that fifty two seconds to be over. "Time's up."

"Okay, let's go," I reply as I hesitantly free myself from Peter.

"Wait, hold on. We never properly introduce each other. Hi, I'm Peter Kavinsky," Peter offers a hand to Em.

"Hi, Peter Kavinsky. I'm Emily Visscher," she says her name with a sexy Dutch accent. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"The pleasure's all mine."

—

Peter and I are laying on our stomach at my favorite corner in my room. I am doing my Calculus homework, while Peter is watching an old episode of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.

"You should've told me you were coming. I would've done my homework yesterday if I knew," I accuse him, pretending to be mad.

"And miss the fun of looking at your nose crinkles when you're trying to solve the problems? Why would I do that?"

"My nose doesn't crinkle."

"It does, you do that all the time. I've been studying together with you for two years. When it comes to you, I am very observant, you know."

I roll my eyes at him.

"Do you know that you also pout sometimes before you write down an answer?" He tries to mimic my pout.

"Aw, stop teasing me, Peter." I roll my eyes again and smack his forearm. He bursts into laughter.

"Hey, don't be mad. You look super adorable when you do all those cute little habits of yours." He slightly leans forward to kiss me on the lips.

This is the first time we kiss in a month. I just realize that I really miss having his lips on mind. He softly touches my face, planting a deeper, more passionate kiss. So, I kiss him back with the same amount of passion.

Peter suddenly breaks off the kiss to sit up and pulls my hands, telling me to sit on his lap. I do as he says. Then, we're back at it, he kisses me like we never stopped. There is a hint of urgency in his kisses, his right hand on my hair and the other behind my back. We are so consumed with the kiss, that I can feel both of us are a little out of breath. Still, we do not stop, even when his phone is ringing.

But, when it rings for the third time, I tell Peter to pick it up since it may be important. He protests, but he knows I'm right. It's his mom. So, I step down and let him talk to her.

From Peter's conversation with his mom, I can hear that she sounds a little panic. It seems like Owen accidentally hurt himself at school during PE class. She is now waiting for the test results to come out.

Peter doesn't sound as worried as his mom when he tells me what happened. "It's probably just a sprained ankle. It's nothing serious. My mom gets worried a lot. She says she's going to call me as soon as the results are back," he explains.

I give him a nod, then I ask him, "Do you need to go back home?"

He shakes his head, which makes me feel relieved. I know I sound so selfish right now, but I really want to spend time with Peter.

"I am going to finish my homework as fast as I can. Then, we can do whatever you wanna do."

"Like, whatever,  _whatever_?" Peter asks with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Um—" I pause. Now I'm nervous.  _What does he want to do with me?_  So, I add, "As long as it's appropriate and you think that my dad would approve, then sure."

"Aw, you're impossible, Covey! Anyway, don't we have a party to attend to?"

"I almost forgot about that. How do you know?"

"Em told me about it. She said I can stay over in this room as long as I make sure you go to the party with her."

"And you agreed to that?"

"Yeah. I'm down for anything as long as you're with me," he answers, with a playful smirk on his face. He tucks my hair behind my ear, staring deeply into my eyes.

I start to blush. I'm still not used to having Peter in the flesh, sweet talking while playfully smirking and gazing at me with his deep flirtatious eyes. "I forgot how distracting you can be."

Then, he bursts into laughter.

One hour later, Em comes back. She teases us with, "So, what have you guys been doing while I'm not around?"

"Nothing," I respond quickly.

"Seriously, Lara Jean? I left you with a hot, good-looking guy for almost 3 hours and you did nothing?" She asks me in disbelief, a little hint of disappointment in her voice. Then, she adds to Peter, "I'm not complimenting you, Kavinsky. Sorry to burst your bubble. I'm just trying to make a point with Lara Jean." Peter shrugs.

"I need to finish my homework which I could've done in 2 hours, but he keeps distracting me," I defend myself.

"What kind of distraction are we talking about?" Em sounds intrigued.

I throw a pillow at her direction that she easily catches and throws back at me, which thankfully Peter saves me from before it hits my face. He breaks into another roar of laughter.

"Come on, Lara Jean, let's get ready."

"Can't I just wear what I'm wearing right now?" Em looks at me like I'm not in my right mind. Then, I quickly say, "Okay, okay, point taken."

—

"I'll go get drinks. You want some, Em?" Peter asks politely.

She shakes her head.

"Alright. Be right back." Peter gives me a quick peck at the side of my forehead and leaves.

"Look at that guy standing by the stairs, Em. He's been checking you out since the first time we step in," I tell her, giving her a meaningful look.

Em looks around to see who the guy is. She comments, "Ooh, he's pretty cute. I think he plays for the football team. I've met him before, but I can't remember—"

"He's approaching," I whisper to her.

"I know right?! That's what I've been telling him this whole time. If only he listened, it wouldn't happen in the first place," Em suddenly changes the subject, trying to act cool.

I don't realize it at first, but then I play along. "Yeah, poor Tim," I respond, not sure why I said it. Em cocks an eyebrow at me, but that guy is now standing next to us.

"Who's Tim?" The guy is curious.

"No one. Just, um, my cousin," Em answers quickly.

"I'm Karl, by the way," he introduces himself.

We introduce ourselves and talk for a bit. He looks like a nice guy, and good looking too. He has green eyes that hypnotize you when you loot at them.

Then, I excuse myself to give them space to get to know each other. I look around, scanning through the crowd, looking for Peter. I see some of my friends, I come and say hi to them.

Then, I see Liam comes towards me.

"Hey, Lara Jean. I didn't know you're coming," he smiles at me.

"That makes the two of us," I laugh. He doesn't seem to get my joke, so I explain to him, "I come here because my roommate, Emily, asks me to come with her."

"Ooh, yeah. I know her. One of my teammates has a crush on her," he explains.

"I think I know which one," I reply. And we both burst into laughter.

Then, suddenly Peter comes from behind me. He hands me a solo cup and wraps his arms around me. He also gives me a little peck at the back of my head.

"Sorry, my mom called just now. She said Owen's fine and I don't need to worry about it," he says.

I nod. I almost forget that Liam is here. So, I introduce him to Peter, "Peter, this is my friend, Liam."

I see Peter's jaw tightens which makes me a little bit nervous. But, he introduces himself politely, "I'm Peter. Nice to meet you, Liam."

"Likewise. So, you're Lara Jean's boyfriend?" He asks him nicely.

"Yeah. How do you know?"

"She told me before that she has a boyfriend who's a lacrosse player in UVA. So, when's your first game?"

I am relieved that they get along just fine, talking about football and lacrosse. After a while, Liam says he needs a refill and excuses himself.

Peter and I walk around, searching for Em. I see a lot of girls do a double take when Peter passes. I laugh to myself. I almost forget how people reacts when they see Peter. We find Em playing beer pong with Karl and his two other teammates.

"Em, we're leaving. If you need anything, just call me, okay?"

She nods and gives me a hug. Then, she waves at Peter.

—

Peter and I are walking hand in hand, heading back to my dorm room.

"You and Liam got along pretty well."

"Well, I can tell he is a nice guy. And he is very polite. But, I gotta say I was a bit surprised to see that he looks that attractive. I think you forgot to mention it when you told me about him."

"I don't think it's important," I shrug my shoulder off. "He's not you anyway."

"Aw, my sweet, sweet girlfriend," he plants a quick kiss on my cheek. "Hey, have I showed you this?" He takes out his phone and shows me his phone background. It is a candid picture that Em took during the photoshoot. I was talking about Peter's care package when she took it.

"You look incredible in all the photos. But, this one is my favorite. I love this picture so much. It looks very natural, very Lara Jean. You look very beautiful in this photo. And you look really happy too," he says.

"Yeah, the picture looks alright, I guess."

"Gosh, if only you can look at yourself with my eyes, you're gonna see how beautiful you are, Covey."

I feel that my cheeks start to blush. I try to change the subject, "What time should we go tomorrow?"

Peter's trying to decide and he finally says that we're going to leave at 6. He yawns. He tells me that his professor cancelled today's class, so he came up with the idea to come and surprise me. He drove here right after he finishes his morning practice.

When we arrive at my room, we quickly change into comfy clothes and lie on my bed. We lie down with my back to his chest, his arms wrap around mine. He is caressing my hand with his thumb. He always makes me feel safe and loved. He whispers goodnight to my ear and kisses my temple.

"Sweet dreams, Peter," I reply.

A few minutes later, I call his name, "Peter?"

He hums back at me. I know he already fell asleep just now.

"Sorry to wake you up. But, I really need you to know that you coming here really means a lot to me. Thank you, Peter."

"Anytime, Covey," he whispers with a smile, before drifting back to his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? I hope you guys love it as much as I love Peter and Noah Centineo. The next chapter will be about them going on their trip. I honestly still have no idea what to write LOL But, I have finished writing chapter 6 before I even started this chapter. Weird haha :D Drop me some ideas please. I need inspirations! Thanks a lot for reading and posting reviews for me. It makes me happy to see that you guys like it. Cheers xx


	5. Car Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is gonna be the shortest chapter I've ever written so far. I haven't been able to write as I am pretty busy recently. I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

**Chapter 5: Car Ride**

"Can I drive?" I ask Peter with excitement, jingling his car key in front of his face.

"What? Hell, no! You hate driving anyway," Peter says matter-of-factly, taking the keys from my hand.

True. I used to hate driving. However, over the summer before college began, Peter had been helping me with my driving skill and I am proud to say that I have improved a lot, even Kitty approves of it. To be honest, I find it quite relaxing.

It's 5.55. Peter is putting our bags into the backseat. Then, he opens the door to the passenger side seat with a wide smile on his face.

"Well, well, well, look who's being a true gentleman!" I tiptoe and give him a peck on his cheek before entering the car. He replies me with a wink.

"Everything in?" He asks me before he closes the door.

"What's with this sudden chivalry?" I question him suspiciously with one eyebrow arching as he put on his seatbelt.

"What do you mean?" He pretends to look hurt. "I always treat you well."

"Yeah, but not like this. You open and hold doors for me sometimes, but since when did you open car door for me?"

"There's always room for improvement," he gives me a flirty wink, then he leans forward to plant a kiss on my lips.

I am a little bit taken aback by his gesture and his sudden kiss. After we break off the kiss, I ask him, "Can I get a hug too?"

Peter roars with laughter, but he still hugs me tightly. "Okay, that's enough. We need to go now."

I can't believe myself that we are finally going to have a little getaway over the weekend. I have been waiting for this for a week. To be frank, the fact that it's gonna be just the two of us makes me feel groggy, but I try to remain as calm as I can. I keep repeating to myself,  _I'm with Peter, I have nothing to worry about._  I am unconsciously staring at him as I am thinking to myself. Peter feels it and breaks me from my reverie.

"Do I look that good in the morning?" He teases me.

"Argh, you're so vain," I retort as I smack his arm.

He rubs his hand, acting as if I just hurt him, but I ignore him.

"Do you want some coffee?" Peter offers.

"Sure," I say.

We make a stop to order our coffee. While we are waiting for our order, I ask him, "How long is it gonna take to our destination?"

"Um, probably around two and a half hours without traffic."

"I'm gonna buy something for us to eat in the car then." I leave him in the car, to go inside a bakery and buy one chocolate scone for me and one cheese sandwich for Peter.

Peter looks straight to the road, one hand holding the steering wheel, the other holding my hand. He kisses the back of my hand once in a while. My phone buzzes and I pick up.

"Hi Daddy," I greet my dad. He looks tired, he probably just finished a night shift at the hospital. "Did you just get home?"

He nods. "So where are you guys going?"

"I don't know. Peter refuses to tell me, he says it's a surprise," I turn my phone so that Daddy can see both of us.

"Good morning, Mr. Covey," Peter greets him politely.

"Hi there, Peter. A surprise, huh? Impressive," my dad responds, he gives a slight nod of approval.

Peter smirks, "Thank you for allowing me to take Lara Jean on a trip. Are you finally going somewhere with Trina and Kitty?"

"Kitty is begging me to follow you two, actually," he bursts in laughter. "Relax, I'm never gonna do that. We are planning to go to DC later this afternoon and probably stay there til Monday."

Peter sighs in relief.

My dad finally says, "Take care of my daughter, Peter Kavinsky."

"I will," he nods and takes off his eyes from the road for a split second to look at my dad. Daddy smiles at him.

"Well, you two have fun. And don't forget,  _be safe_ ," he emphasizes the word safe. Both of our cheeks turn red instantly, knowing well what my dad means.

"Dad!" I shriek in embarrassment.

"Alright, I gotta go, I can hear Kitty coming down the stairs."

"Talk to you later, Dad." We hang up the call.

Peter and I sit silently, still thinking about what my dad said. My dad really knows how to embarrass his daughter. And to be honest, that has been bugging my mind too.  _Will I do it with Peter on this trip?_

Peter can feel the nervousness radiating from my direction, so he reaches for my hand. He gives me a reassuring look and say, "Hey, you have nothing to worry about." And that's all it needs to make my worry disappear. "Do you want me to turn on the music?"

"Isn't it too early for you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I almost finish my coffee anyway." He types in 'road trip' on Spotify and Capital Cities' Safe and Sound starts blasting inside the car. Then, Peter starts to sing along loudly. I know he's trying to comfort me, it's hard to stay nervous when he's acting like this.

"Come on, Covey. Sing with me," he demands. And so, I follow. We have a spontaneous karaoke session in the car, which is fun and very entertaining. It makes me forget about all of my worries. After we finish singing Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, I feel hungry and start munching on my chocolate scone. I offer Peter some of it, but he only wants his cheese sandwich.

"Let's play a cheesy couple game." Peter says.

I roll my eyes, but waiting for him to start.

"Let's start with something easy. Would you rather be able to read minds or control things with your mind?"

"Read minds. I don't think I want to control anyone's mind. That doesn't sound right."

"Come on, Covey! This is not a matter of right and wrong, it's just a game," he exclaims, but I just shrug off my shoulder. He continues, "I'd rather have the latter. It's gonna be so cool if I can easily tell someone to do something for me."

"That sounds very Peter," I playfully tease him. "But you know, with a face like yours, I don't think that ability is necessary. So the first one will totally benefit you, Peter Kavinsky." I put on a serious face, trying to fight my giggle.

"Are you hitting on me, Covey?" He teases me back, making a flirty face and staring deeply into my eyes.

"No way." I look away from him, trying to hide my face as my cheeks start to blush from his stare. "Okay, okay, next question," I clear my throat before I ask, "Would you rather be extremely attractive or be with someone who is extremely attractive?"

"Well, everyone knows I am extremely attractive," he playfully answers the question, a confident smug crosses his face. I make an expression as if I am about to vomit, which makes Peter laughs. " _And_  apparently my girlfriend is too. So, I guess  _we_  are lucky enough to get the best of both worlds." We both explode into laughter.

"My turn. Would you rather kiss on the cheek or kiss on the forehead?" Peter questions.

"Easy. Forehead, of course."

"Girls do like forehead kisses. I don't understand why, though. I like kisses on the cheek better, I think it's more intimate."

"Hmm… I think kisses on the forehead is more sincere. It's not as aggressive or sexual as kisses on the lips. Also, it is more affectionate than on the cheek," I try to explain.

Peter gives my answer a thought, his eyebrows furrow together. Then, he nods and agrees with my opinion.

"Breakfast or dinner?"

"Are we talking in a relationship?" I give him a nod, then he continues, "Hmm… When we started dating, dinner is way more romantic. Even in movies, dinner is portrayed as a romantic thing. Breakfast, on the other hand, is more casual."

"So?" I wait.

"Well," Peter pauses and thinks, before he firmly answers, "Breakfast."

"Why?"

"I don't know how to explain this, but I'll try. I think when two people in a relationship are having breakfast, it shows how much they mature in a relationship. If that makes sense at all. So I think a relationship progresses like this, it all starts with dinner where people usually carefully plan their every move to impress their date. Then, after a while when they  _really_  become comfortable with each other, knowing all their flaws and all that, that's when a relax setting is preferred." Peter looks at me, hoping that I would understand what he just said.

I bite my lower lip, thinking. Then, I say, "I think I get what you mean. Breakfast happens in broad daylight, so they have nothing to hide anymore from each other. Also, they don't need to try so hard to impress one another."

"Yeah, something like that. I know it's a bit confusing."

"No, I kinda like the philosophy behind your answer. It sounds romantic. I agree with you. I'm all for breakfast."

"Are you trying to say that you feel comfortable with me, Covey?" He teases me, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously not anymore," I tease back which makes him groans.

I enjoy every second I am having with Peter right now. I can't stop grinning. It feels refreshing getting to talk, tease and flirt with each other. And to think that we're gonna get to spend time like this for the next few days make my stomach jittery.

"Thank you for this trip, Peter."

"Hey, it's not even started yet. You don't even know where we're heading to."

"It's not the destination that matters, it's whom I spend it with," I quote Margot.

"Well, in that case, you are very much welcome, Covey. Thank you for going on this trip with me."

"The pleasure's all mine, Kavinsky." I lean forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, but at the same time he turns his head, so I kiss his lips instead.

"Peter, what are you looking forward to the most on our vacation?"

"Hmm… Getting to spend my time with you, being able to hold you, listening to your story, lying on the bed with you at night without the need to say goodbye, waiting for you to fall asleep, waking up next to you."

"We just did all those things yesterday."

"Then, those are the things I can never get enough off."

"Aw, Peter," I reach for his hand and place it on my cheek. "I love you so much."

Peter's face breaks into a huge, warm smile. "I love you too, Covey."

"You know what, you were right. We are lucky to have each other."

"I guess we have Kitty to thank for," he says. We both laugh.

"I think we're almost there," Peter says after a while. I look through my window, the blue sea stretches out as far as the eye can see. I feel a sudden jolt of excitement.

"Wow," I hear myself amazed by the view. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're in Wilmington, North Carolina. Remember the last time we watch a movie together?"

I nod at him. "It was a long time ago. I think it was The Choice, wasn't it? It was a movie based on Nicholas Sparks' novel."

"Yep."

"Yeah, I remember it. In fact, you gave me that same novel a few days ago."

"Because you said the book is always better than the movie. Anyway, I remember you saying how beautiful the view is in the movie, so… Here we are."

My eyes are wide open. I gasp in surprise. "Peter…" I am speechless.

And then Peter beams in delight, "I'm glad you like it."


	6. Day 1 (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! So, here's the new chapter. I plan to make the first day longer so I think I'll divide it into 2 or 3 parts (I haven't really decided it yet). I hope you guys enjoy it.

Chapter 6: Day 1 (Part 1)

"Are you sure this is the right address?" I ask.

"Yes. Oliver sent it himself. I just copy-pasted it to Google Maps."

Oliver is one of Peter's lacrosse teammate. They hang out together a lot and are close to each other. Even sometimes he comes to Peter's room just to play games or watch YouTube videos at his phone which he can actually do at his own room. Both Peter and I think that maybe he feels lonely. He gets a single room, so he doesn't have a roommate. When Oliver knew that Peter was going to take me to Wilmington, he offered Peter to stay at his grandparents' cabin to which he agreed.

"Covey, look! I think it's that one, that pale yellow cabin over there. Can you help me look for the picture of the cabin that he sent me?" Peter hands over his phone to me.

I do as he told. I search for Oliver's text to Peter. That's when I see a text message from an unknown number, sending Peter three kiss emojis. I feel like someone has just punched me in the gut. My heart beats faster.

"Peter," I call his name. I can hear my voice is shaking and feel a lump in my throat. I clear my throat, wanting to ask him about it, but nothing comes out from my mouth. This is the very first time I have ever been in this situation. I have no idea how to handle it. I wish Margot would have taught me more about relationship and stuff.

Should I open the text? I have no doubt that Peter loves me. It is one of the few things in my life that I am very sure of. I am sure Peter's not cheating on me. But, why does he have this kind of text from some random person?

Peter feels the abrupt change of atmosphere, so he pulls over under the nearest tree. I saw the look of confusion on Peter's face. "What's wrong, Lara Jean?" He carefully asks me. There is a hint of uncertainty in his voice. I still haven't found my voice back. And he continues, "Did I do anything wrong?"

I hand him his phone. He looks at it for a few seconds before realizing what's causing my sudden loss of words. I hear him let out a sigh. He tries to explain, "Covey, this is a nobody. You can check it for yourself." He hands me back his phone.

I look at Peter's phone. There is a picture of a brown haired girl with half of her face closed with a Starbucks cup she's holding. She is smiling brightly. Under the photo she wrote, Hi Peter, I am the girl from last night. Do you miss me yet? and three kiss emojis. That's all. I am not sure why Peter thinks that this is supposed to make me feel better. To be fair, Peter didn't reply her which makes me a bit relieved. On the other hand, the girl is really pretty even though I can only see half of her face.

"You can ask me anything," Peter says softly. He is staring at my eyes. I just stare back at him, not knowing what to say. I feel as if my brain just stops working. I don't know what to think, I don't know what to say.

"You don't think I'm cheating on you, do you?" Peter asks me, he stares at me intently. He looks slightly worried now. I break off the eye contact and look at my hands. Peter reaches for my face. He places his hand under my chin and raises my face so that our eyes meet.

"Answer me, Lara Jean."

I shake my head. Peter is relieved now, the worry that was on his face just now suddenly disappears.

I ask, "Who is she? Why did she text you like that?"

He sighs and starts teasing me, "Phew, she can talk!" He pretends to rub sweat off his face. I can't help but laugh at his silly act. He leans forward and plants a quick kiss on my forehead before he answers. "She is someone I met at the party two weeks ago or something. We didn't really talk, you know. I was with my friends and then someone from the team introduced this girl and her friends to all of us. I don't even remember her name. I think it's Amy or Amelia or Mia, hell, I don't know. I really can't remember."

"So why did she text you like that?"

"I seriously have no idea. That's why I ignored her. To be honest with you, it's a bit creepy to receive a text like that from someone you barely even know. I knew she was eyeing me almost the whole night, but I didn't do anything about it. And I think she knew that I am in a happy relationship with someone else."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I know I should've told you. I suppose it's because I didn't think it would be important since I don't even know her name. I'm really sorry." He looks at me with sad eyes.

"It's fine. I'm sorry for overreacting just now. It's just that her text was really inappropriate and I was a bit shocked."

"Nah. I totally get it," Peter reassures me.

"She's pretty, though."

"So?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Covey. You're driving me crazy."

"What? I was just saying."

"Do you think it matters whether she is pretty or not?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"You know damn well I only have eyes for you."

I don't answer him. Then, he suspiciously asks me, "Are you jealous?"

"Hell yeah!" I say, which makes Peter laughs uncontrollably. "No girlfriend in her right mind are not jealous to see her boyfriend gets kiss emojis from another girl. We all know that kiss emoji is for flirting purposes." Especially if her boyfriend is as handsome as you, I add to myself.

"Covey, how can you be jealous of her?"

"Well, you're jealous of Liam," I reply quickly, trying to defend myself.

"That's different. You two have almost the same classes together everyday. And I've told you I trust you, so…"

"I trust you too. That's why I knew that there's no way you cheated on me. But it doesn't mean I'm not jealous." Now that I think about it, it is true I am sure from the beginning that Peter is not cheating on me. And the reason I went silent was probably because I was in a shock.

"Lara Jean, I love you. I only love you. Well, I love my mom and Owen and Kitty a—," Peter pauses. "Anyway, my point is I love you. I don't care about any other girls. All the other girls look the same to me ever since we were together. I can't even tell my friends who's prettier whenever they show me photos of girls they met on Tinder. They always tease me about it. They say that I sound worse than a married man."

"I have to agree with them on this one. You are so weird and cheesy, Peter Kavinsky." I let out a loud chuckle.

Peter rolls his eyes. "So, you're okay, right? Are we cool?"

I nod, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Can we hug it out?" He asks me with hopeful eyes.

I laugh at him, but I lean forward to hug him.

"Damn Covey, I was really scared just now when you went silent on me," Peter says softly as he hugs me tightly. He kisses the side of my forehead for a solid ten seconds before he finally lets go of me. He adds, "And for the record, you are the most beautiful girl in my eyes. No one else matters."

—

As it turns out, the pale yellow cabin is the place where we are going to stay for the next few days. It is a two-story building. I instantly fall in love with the place. It is located in a quiet, secluded neighborhood. It is very strategic as well. The beach is only a few minutes away, and all the scenic spots are within 30-minute drive range.

Peter parks the car in the garage behind the house where I can see a wooden swing placed at the backyard. He takes out a card from his back pocket which is a key for the cabin. Then, we take our belongings out from the car and head inside.

"Wow," I gasp as we open the door. "This is amazing."

Peter is struck in awe too, observing the interior of the cabin.

The space itself is not big, but everything is thoughtfully designed and placed. As we open the front door, we see a medium-sized grey couch with dark blue throw pillows on it, and a floral-patterned armchair placed next to a TV desk. Behind the couch, there is a kitchen area with shiplap walls and butcher-block counters. A small dining table is placed next to the front door.

Across the room, there is a sliding barn door that opens to a bedroom. The bedroom is tiny. It can only fit one king size bed with two nightstands at each side of the bed; along with a small dresser and a full-body mirror next to a wide window with white curtain. The window gives the room a very good lighting which makes it so pretty. The bathroom is not connected to our bedroom, but they are situated next to each other.

On the second floor, there are a laundry room and a storage space. Also, a spacious deck overlooking the garden behind the cabin.

"Everything here is so pretty, don't you think? I really like the wood and white aesthetics that's going on everywhere in the cabin," I gush.

Peter laughs at how excited I am. He comes closer to me and hugs me from behind. He kisses the back of my head. Then, he whispers to my ear, "Are you ready for the next surprise?"

"Mmhm," I hum, turning my head a little bit so I can kiss his lips. "Do you have anything planned for tonight? If you don't, I really wanna cook for you. It seems unfair that I am always on the receiving end of surprises. I know that cooking is not much, bu—"

Peter plants another kiss on my lips. "I would love to eat your food, Covey. Can you bake me your chocolate chip cookies too?"

"Didn't you tell me you are on a high protein diet to stay fit for the opening game?"

"I know. But I really miss your cookies. It's fine, I'm not going to eat more than ten of them."

His response makes me laugh. I give him a nod to let him know that I'm going to bake for him. He smiles to me in delight.

"What are you going to cook for dinner?" Peter asks.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm, remember when you were obsessed with trying all Jamie Oliver's recipes during summer? I really love that chicken with peanut butter that Kitty hated so much."

"Okay. It is super easy. I think I'll make a simple salad too."

"Sounds amazing."

"Okay, let's stop by the grocery store to buy all the ingredients."

Twenty minutes later, we have already gathered almost all of the ingredients that we need to make the chicken, salad and cookies. We are just left with eggs and all purpose flour.

I tell Peter to look for the eggs, while I search for the flour. After a while, Peter finds me squatting on the floor in front of a tall shelf with various kinds of flour reading the descriptions on the labels. He comes back empty handed. I look at him in confusion.

He responds to my look before I have the chance to ask him anything. "I don't know which one to take. There are too many options and they all pretty much look the same to me. I even Googled some of the labels, but it didn't do much of a help."

"How lucky of you to never have bought eggs," I playfully made fun of him.

He laughs at my joke. "Actually, I have bought eggs for my mom before. But she specifically told me which one to buy, along with the photo of the label," he says as he scratches the side of his neck. "Let's just take it together. We're not in a hurry anyway."

After we have everything we need, I ask Peter, "Do you want anything for breakfast tomorrow?" I am staring at a freezer full of salmon. I have one hand on my hip and the other supporting my chin. My lips pout slightly as I am thinking.

I hear Peter chuckles a few meters away from me. I look up, arching one of my eyebrow. Peter is holding his phone, taking candid photos of me. He comes closer and playfully pinches my cheeks with both of his hands. "You are so adorable. I'm soooo into this housewife mode Lara Jean Song Covey."

"Peter!" I rub both of my cheeks, pretending that he just hurt me.

"You know what, I don't have a lot of things planned. Well, I have a few places I want to take you to, but we can always adjust the itinerary. I want this to be a trip where both of us can relax and enjoy ourselves. So, you can do anything you want, including cooking."

I grin at him. I really miss baking and cooking at home. I haven't been able to do them in my dormitory since I am busy with homework and I don't think I can make time to grocery shop either. Besides, Em and I don't have a lot of cooking utensils.

"Where are we going after this?" I ask curiously, looking up to face him.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, please."

"To be honest, I'm still thinking between two options. The first one is taking you for a canoe ride, the second one is taking a boat to an island. Which one do you prefer?"

"Wow. You really know how to impress a girl, don't you, Peter Kavinsky?" I sincerely compliment him, staring at him in awe.

He throws his head back in laughter.

"I am a lucky girl," I whisper, mostly to myself. But Peter hears it too.

He responds, "What? No. We are both lucky to have each other, remember? You and me, kid!" He winks at me.

I tiptoe to briefly kiss his cheeks, and then I tell him, "Let's just go for that canoe ride. Who knows maybe we can find a small island nearby too."

Peter agrees. Then I ask again, "Can we watch the sunset too?"

"That's what I planned to do, Covey. I really love how we are always on the same frequency."

"Oh, Peter, I'm so excited!"

"I can see that."

"Let's pay for these and go find something to eat, shall we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for that little surprise at the beginning of the story. I was just bored when I wrote it so I added a little bit of twist, but I always know from the start that it won't really hurt their relationship. Cause I know how much they love each other and how much they've matured as a couple, especially after what happened in Dan and Trina's wedding. Also, I want them to do couple-y things like grocery shopping and cooking together. I just think it's cute. So let me know what you guys think about this chapter! Leave me some reviews and ideas, please. Have a great day! :)


	7. Day 1 (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surpriseeee! I just finished writing the second part. I haven't proofread it yet, but I hope everything makes sense cause I don't always write in sequence LOL Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Day 1 (Part 2)**

 

"Covey, can we eat sushi?"

"I was about to ask the same thing. Daddy is eating sushi right now and he sent me a picture. Look!" I show Peter a picture of aburi sushi that Daddy sent in our family group chat.

"Okay, that's settled then."

—

We arrive at the sushi restaurant in less than ten minutes. It is located nearby the grocery store.

As soon as we sit down at our table, we already know what we're going to order. Peter and I are big fans of salmon, especially the raw one. We agree that raw salmon tastes a lot better than the cooked one. But, Daddy, Trina and Kitty disagree whenever we suggest this theory. They like the cooked one better. According to them, it is softer and it has more texture after it's cooked. This topic is always brought up every time we eat sushi together.

One by one our order comes. Peter tells me to take pictures of our food and send them to my family. I also send a picture of Peter and I to them. My phone keeps buzzing, so I open the messages and read them out loud to let Peter know their responses.

Margot: Is this supposed to be a sushi eating contest?

Daddy: Go buy yourself some sushi, Gogo!

Kitty: I am mad at you, Lara Jean. You didn't tell me that you and Peter are going on a vacation together.

Trina: Have fun, lovebirds 3

Daddy: Say hi to Peter from me. Don't worry about Kitty. Hv fun :)

"Should we say something to Kitty?" Peter asks me. He looks like he's in doubt about this matter at hand.

"Hmm, I don't think so. She needs to grow up. We can't always take her wherever we're going, right?"

"True. But, I still think we need to say something."

"Even Daddy tells us not to worry about Kitty."

"Yeah, I know, but…"

"Alright. I totally understand how you feel. Cause I feel like crap too for leaving her without saying anything. Still, I think she needs to get used to it."

"Okay, let's just say something to her right now. We can send her a video or something. And next time we're going somewhere just the two of us, we just let her know that we're going, without inviting her to join us. What do you think?"

I let out a chuckle. "Good idea. Okay, so what should we say?"

We discuss for a few minutes, then Peter carefully places my phone against his green tea glass. He presses the record button, then he starts talking, "Hi baby girl!"

I wave from behind Peter. "Hi Kitty!"

"We apologize for not mentioning it to you. But we really want to spend time together. We hope you understand."

I let Peter do the talking. I am just going to nod and agree to everything that Peter is gonna say. Kitty is more fond of Peter than me anyway.

"So, your sister's gonna come home during fall break. Isn't it exciting? We can hang out together or probably take a day trip somewhere. Don't be mad at Lara Jean, okay? Alright, have fun in DC everyone! And Margot, I think it's too early for sushi in Scotland."

I send the video and we finally start to eat since the last dish has just come.

"I kinda miss debating about salmon with your family," Peter says as he puts one salmon nigiri into his mouth.

"Me too. You know what, actually I've been thinking maybe once in a while I can go home during weekends," I tell Peter.

"But aren't you gonna be even busier after this?"

"I'm not sure yet. I know that I will have more activities to do like meetings and events for the student association, but one of my classes is going to end in early November. And it's my only class on Friday."

Peter's eyes are wide opened. He doesn't say anything because he just gulped one big portion of California roll into his mouth. He chews his sushi quickly and drinks his cold green tea. "That's great! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I just got the email this morning. All of my classes should end in early December. But one of my professors is going to take an early leave for his appendectomy in November. So, he rearranges his classes into two days a week starting next week," I explain to Peter.

"Oh Covey, you have no idea how excited I am to hear that. You can go home on Thursday after you finish your classes," Peter exclaims happily. "I can pick you up if I don't have evening practice."

I nod excitedly at him as I take a bite of my salmon maki.

"Are you going to have any lacrosse games in UNC?"

"I think so. But the coach hasn't announced the schedule yet. I only know when the opening game is."

"Both Em and I will go to your first game," I announce our plan.

"For real? God! You're giving me two surprises in a row. Today won't get any better than this." Peter's grinning from ear to ear. It is obvious that he is very happy.

"It will." I wink at him.

"Are you going to stay in my dorm after the game? Or do you wanna go home?"

"I haven't decided it yet. I mean, for me, I'm fine with staying at your dorm. But what about Em?"

"Hmm, that's right. Let's think about it later then."

Peter's face is still gleaming with happiness on our way back to the cabin. We decided that we need to put our groceries first so that they won't spoil, before going for our canoe ride.

"Peter, are you sure you can ride a canoe?"

"Did you really just ask me that? Are you kidding me? Do you think I've been training for nothing?" He seriously looks like I just hurt him.

I cry with laughter which makes Peter becomes even more annoyed than before.

"Not funny, Covey."

I try to control my laughter. "That's not what I meant. I was just wondering because I know that I won't be able to help you with it, so you will be doing it all by yourself."

"Of course. Do you think I will ask you to help me paddle the canoe?" He asks me in annoyance. He shakes his head slightly in disbelief.

"You know I don't mean it like that," I say as I repeatedly touch his bicep with one finger to annoy him. Then, I playfully squeeze it. "Ooh la la, you've got some killer muscles over here!" I burst out laughing at my own joke.

Peter can't help but to laugh too. "I can't believe you just said that, Lara Jean."

I lean forward to kiss his cheek.

—

We have been on the canoe for over half an hour. Peter doesn't look like he's tired at all which I think is very impressive.

"Aren't your arms sore?"

"No. My lacrosse practice is far worse than this. At least here I can slow down whenever I feel like it. But during practice, the coach will shout at you."

The view is very beautiful. Grasses grow tall on the river. There's no one else besides the two of us. It is very serene. I can hear the sound of the birds and crickets chirping together harmoniously.

"Covey, look! There's a small island over there. Let's go and sit for a while."

I look at my phone as we arrive at the island. It is 4.30.

"I think it's better to wait for the sunset at the beach. I don't think it would be safe for us to ride back in the dark," I remind Peter.

"Clever. I didn't think of that earlier. Okay, let's just stay here and enjoy the view for twenty minutes or so before we head back."

After Peter ties the canoe to a nearby tree, we walk around to explore the island for a bit. There's not much to see since it's only around eight times bigger than our little cabin. An old tree is standing tall in the center of the island, its root is massive that we can see it above the ground. We sit on the grass under the tree.

"The island is not bad," Peter says.

"What do you mean not bad? I think it's perfect. I wanna stay here forever. It' so quiet. This can be our private island."

Peter laughs. "But there's no one here."

"That's the whole point of a private island."

"There's nothing here too."

"We can build things later. We can build a small house and hang a hammock over there."

Peter joins in my imaginary private island design. "We can probably set two white wooden chairs at this side of riverbank. It has the best view."

"Do you think we should have a pet?"

"Of course. We're gonna adopt two dogs at least, or maybe three. They're gonna be able to guard this island from unwanted passerby when we're not around."

"Maybe we should plant some crops too."

"We should build our own small boat and a dock over there." He points to the other side of the island.

"I really like the idea of having our own place in the future."

The weather is really nice. We are sitting in silence, enjoying the last summer breeze before autumn comes. I close my eyes and feel the wind softly blows my hair away from my face. I take a deep breath and blow it out of my mouth. I feel very relaxed.

"This is such a perfect place and weather to read a book."

"Or spend time with you boyfriend perhaps?" Peter suggests. My eyes are still shut. But, I can hear his playful tone.

"I haven't finished my sentence yet. This is such a perfect place and weather to read a book, but an even better one to spend time with my boyfriend."

I hear Peter snorts. "Liar," he says.

He moves closer to my side, I lie my head on his shoulder.

"Ooh, such a strong shoulder," I tease him.

"You're getting really good at teasing me, Covey."

"I know, right? You're supposed to be proud of me."

Peter laughs at my answer. Then, I ask him, "Do you think I have changed a lot since we started dating?"

"When did we really start dating?"

"I don't know. When do you think?"

"I always consider we started dating since the fake dating period," Peter says.

I open my eyes and face him. "I never thought you would say that," I say to him matter-of-factly. "To be frank, I am a bit surprised by this fact, or maybe I shouldn't be cause you have always been treating me nicely ever since. Well, you were annoying sometimes, but they were still acceptable. Anyway, all in all you have always been a good person to everyone around you. So, I didn't think I got any special treatment from you."

"I wrote notes to you everyday."

"But that was in the contract."

"Yes, but couldn't you see how sincere my notes were?"

"I thought you were just a flirtatious jock," I tease him.

"Come on! I know you felt it too."

"Sometimes I could feel it, but I was too afraid to really admit it."

"Well, I love the fact that you are no longer afraid to fall in love with someone just because you're scared that they're going to walk out of your life in the end. I'd like to take credit for that if you don't mind," he says with a wide smile. "And I can tell you are becoming more confident with yourself nowadays, which is great."

I do not say a word. I just stare blankly at the river, deep in thought. I was relieving every monumental memories I've had with him inside my head. I am grateful to have him. I reach out for his hand. He locks his fingers with mine and kisses the back of my hand.

"Thank you, Peter, for everything."

"My pleasure, Covey." He grabs my hand and pulls me towards him. A few seconds later, Peter is lying on the grass with me on top of him. He holds my face with one hand, and kisses me. It is a sweet, but very passionate kiss. I can feel his kiss becomes more needy as the time passes. I move my hand to touch his hair.

We are lost in our kiss as the sun is getting lower and lower. The sky is now painted with a mixture of blue, pink and orange.

"Peter," I try to break off from the kiss.

He only replies me with a hum, but still continues kissing me.

I try harder to let go. "Peter, we need to go," I blurt out as fast as I can when we are gasping for air.

He ignores me, moving his kiss towards my neck.

"Hey, Peter! As much as I want to make out with you in this beautiful island in the middle of nowhere, we  _really_  need to go now. Look, the sun is about to set in half an hour or so. We need to find our way back."

"Ugh, Covey," he groans. But, he knows that I am right, so he is in no position to protest. He rolls me over to his side and gets up. Then, he offers his hand to help me stand.

A few minutes later, we are already sitting in the canoe. According to Peter, it won't take us too long to go back to our starting point.

We are enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounds us. It looks completely different from when we came an hour ago now that the color of the sky changes.

"Do you believe in fate?" I ask Peter after a while.

"Nope." Peter shakes his head.

I turn my head to look at him, I arch my eyebrow signaling him to continue.

"What? I don't believe in it and I have no particular reason to support that."

"I think we are together because of fate. Not completely, but it all started because of it," I try to explain.

I am sure Peter knows that I am referring to my letter which Kitty sent. Both Peter and I never planned for this to happen, so in my opinion it is all because of fate.

"If you think about it, isn't it very romantic that fate brought us together?" I ask him again.

"Probably." Peter shrugs.

"Probably?"

"Firstly, I don't believe in fate. Secondly, sure, we noticed each other because of the letter and I am forever grateful that Kitty sent it,  _but_  it wasn't the reason why we became together. It was our choice. We decided to be together and we work hard for our relationship."

"Hmm, interesting theory."

"What?" Peter asks in a high-pitched voice which makes me laugh. "I am pretty sure you agreed with what I just said. You just don't want to admit that I'm right," Peter accuses me.

"Alright, alright. Yes, I agree with you. You sounded like you had this very thoughtful insight. I'm usually the wise one in our relationship, you know."

We both laugh together. But then, Peter's face suddenly turns serious. "Are you happy being with me, Covey?"

"Didn't you just see me laugh?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm seriously asking you."

"Of course. Why did you ask something like that?" I look at him as if he just insulted me.

"It's just that I still think about it sometimes."

"Think about what?"

"I told you before that I was scared you were going to figure out that I wasn't worth it."

"And I bet you still remember what I said to you that night. You're the most special person in my life besides my family."

Peter doesn't respond. He looks away contemplating.

"Peter," I call his name, trying to make him listen to my every words. He turns his head and finds my eyes. "Listen to me. You constantly make me happy. You always go out of your way to make me happy. How can you not know that? I always tell you how happy I am, don't I? Look at us now. Look where we are. We are in this beautiful place thanks to you."

"I guess I just have this insecurity that always haunts me and keeps telling me that I am somehow not worthy of you, like you are out of my league."

I shake my head in disbelief and give him an annoyed stare. "Are you out of your mind?  _You_  are out of  _my_  league? Have you never see yourself?"

"Come on, Covey. You are smart and hardworking. You always help other people. You take very good care of your family and your friends, not to mention how beautiful you are. You are perfect."

"Are we in a compliment battle right now?"

Peter snorts with laughter.

"Peter, you are the most thoughtful guy I've ever met in my life. You care for everyone that matters to you. You are a good son to your mom and a good brother to Owen, even to Kitty. You even call her 'baby girl'?! What the hell is that? You never even call me that! You're such a perfect boyfriend. Actually, you are  _exactly_  how I imagined the perfect boyfriend should be. I honestly couldn't ask for a better one. My family loves you, I don't think there's a better compliment than that. If it makes you feel better, my family loves you more than they will ever love Josh or Ravi. When we broke up, my family was as devastated as me. Even my dad questioned my decision. He loves you  _that_  much. Oh, and I don't think I still need to mention how attractive you are, right? All girls are gasping for air whenever they see you. It's so unfair."

Peter is processing my answer. His eyebrows furrow. I can see the creases on his forehead starts to disappear as his worry begins to fade. I give him an encouraging smile. I reach my hands out to touch his face.

" _We_  are going to work it through together. Don't worry about it. I'm sure we both have our own insecurities. It's very normal," I say as we gaze deeply into each other's eyes.

He gives me a tiny nod and a slight smile.

"Promise me you'll never say that again. It breaks my heart when you say that you are not worth it."

"I promise," he says softly. But in a few seconds, the corners of his eyes suddenly crinkle. This is a typical expression that Peter has when he is about to tease me. Then, he continues, "Baby girl!"

I shriek in laughter. "Ew, please. Don't! You're hurting my ears!" I raise my hand, gesturing for him to stop talking.

Peter snorts, "If I'm not mistaken, you said something like 'you call her baby girl?! What the hell is that? You never even call me that!' Oh, you were totally jealous!" He mimics my voice and teases me. Then, he explodes with laughter.

I playfully hit his arm as I laugh along with him.

Peter and I are getting closer and closer to the dock. The sky is filled with gold and deep pink and purple as the sun is nearly gone now.

"This is amazing," I gasp, admiring this breathtaking scenery. Peter is looking up at the sky, lost for words.

Then, he gazes at my eyes and leans forward. He tilts his head slightly and we share a kiss as the sun goes down.

"You know what, Peter, if our love story were a movie our kiss just now would definitely be the poster."

He smiles brightly and kisses me again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, how was the story? Tell me what you think about it! I really love reading all your comments. They really make my day, so send me more of em! Anyway, I don't think I will be able to post the third part as fast as I posted this one. But, I'll try my best. In the meantime, leave me some comments for the sake of encouragement hahaha


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